Coupler shank and yoke connection



J. c. WH ITRI DGE ET AL COUPLER sHANK' AND YOKE CONNECTION .Sept. 11, 1928.

Filed Jan. 28, 192? Patented Sept.- -1 l 1928 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN cnirroanwnirmpen AND GEORGE 'r. JOHNSON, or COLUMBUS, euro, as-

SIGNORS TO THE BUCKEYE STEEL CASTINGS COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

cournnn snanx AND Yoxn co vnEc'rIoN.

Application filed January 28, 1927. serial No.- 164,303.

In the usual type of connection between a car coupler shank and the yoke, the-.key' is substantially rigid in the shank and, when the shank moves angularly the key moves from its bearing in one-side of the yoke and the full load is takenon its. bearing in the other side of the yoke, putting a twist action in the coupler butt and an eccentric load on the yoke. The present invention overcomes the twist action of the key and equalizes the load on the two sides or jaws of the yoke in all angular positions of the shank, permitting the weight of the yoke and the coupler to be reduced and minimizing wearon the key. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and will be hereinafter fully described, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the ap-' pended claims.

In the drawings, Figure leis a horizontal section through a shank and yoke connected according to the present invention;

' Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section; Figure 3 is a detail of the bearing block; Figures 4, 5 and 6 are details of the equalizer or swivel block;

Figure 7 is a horizontal section showing avariation.

The yoke 1 has the jaws or side members 2 of the usual form to receive the cou ler shank 3 and slots 4 and 5 are forme in the yoke jaws and the shank, respectively,

to receive the key- 6; the shank being recessed at the rear of theslot, as shown at 7. Within the recess or chamber 7 a bearing block 8 is disposed in contact with the butt or rear wall of the shank, and between the bearing block and the key is an equalizer or swivel block 9. The bearing block ,is of greater vertical extent than the key slot; and its forward face presents a vertically extending horizontally convex surface 10,-

while the equalizer has a vertically extending horizontally concave bearing surface 11 on its rear side seating against said" convex surface, and it willibe noted, 11 on reference to Figure 1, that. the apex o the surface 10 is approximately in a. plane touchlng the rear end walls of the slots '5 in the shank. It will also. be noted that the bearing sur; faces 10 and ,11 are nearly, equal in extent to the inside'dimensions of the shank while the usual key bearingiand wearing surface are only the thickness or height of the key. The

front face of the equalizer is vertically con cave, as shown at 12, to engage the rear edge of the key and extends practically the full producing stop lugs or horns 13 which pro- ]ectinto the slots 5 inposition to engage the rear walls thereof. The equalizer and the width of'the coupler shank, the formation bearing block are thus prevented from bemg jammed or distorted: in the event of eX-. cessive sw nging of the shank due to failure of either the key or the yoke. The lugs 14 on the swivel block 9, Figs. 1 and 6,'are provided to help guide the key to its proper bearing for draft after the coupler'has'been 1n the butt" position. The wear due to the angular movement of the shank all comes on the contactingbearing faces 10 and 11,

and because of the area' of these surfaces the life and efliciency of the device is prolonged. It will be seen that by increasing the horizontal length of the stop lugs or horns 13. and so proportioning the spacings of the yoke aws or sidemembers 2 of the yoke, a substantial increase in bearing between key and equalizer can be provided and a greater bearing between these, parts, thus obtained in this type of construction than the ordinary type heretofore used.

In assembling the coupler and yoke, the bearin block" I is first inserted sidewise through a slot 5 and then turned through an angle of degrees and pushed into contact with the inside bearing face of the -coup-' 'ler butt. The bearing block 8 being so proactual thickness is less than the vertical 'p'ortioned and shaped that at any point its height of the. slot 5, makes this possible a1- though the overall depth of the bearing block'8 may be greater than the height ofthe slot 5. The equalizer is then inserted 1n the same manner and turned intoproper engagement with the bearing block, after which thecoupler is inserted in the yoke and the key placed-in position. The equalizer 9'being so proportioned and shaped that I I at any point its actual thickness is .less than the vertical height of'the slot 5, makes this possible although the overall depth of the swivel block 9 is greater than the height of the slot 5. It will be seen that the eqi1'al-.

the slots inthe shank longer than usual to provided for greater angularity without di- 'minishing the efiiciency ofthe locking ar rangement. Also by this method of assembling and locking the parts, although they may be displaced relatively to each other, never move from their normal positions sufficiently to effect their functioning as de-v scribed, the parts cannot be removed or lost until the key is removed and no bolts, rivets, or pins are required to lock the varlous parts in position. An additional locking feature is provided by proportioning the bearing surfaces 10 and 11 so that the distance a is always greater than the distance b.'

The bearing block may be integral with the coupler shank and, in Figure 7, we have shown the coupler butt let cast with a con vex projection 15 on its inner 'face which will serve all the functions of the bearing block 8. The equalizer may be formed integral with the key if the height of the bearing face 11' be reduced so that it may be inserted through the slot without turning.

Having fully described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

i 1. The combination of a slotted coupler shank, a slotted yoke, and a key inserted having a vertically extending horizontally convex front bearing face, and an equalizer having its front face engaging the rear surface of the key and provided on its rear side with a vertically extending horizontally the convex face of having a vertically extending horizontallyconvex front bearing face, and an equalizer having its front face engaging the rear surface of the key and provided on its rear side with a vertically extending horizontally concave face seating onthe convex face of the bearing block, the area of the contacting surfaces of the bearing block and the equalizer approximating the inside dimensions of the shank.

4. An equalizer block having 'a horizontal extending vertically concave front key hearing surface and a vertically extending horizontally concave rear bearing surface, the area of the rear bearing surface having dimensions to approximate the inside dimensions of the shank and horizontal extending lugs to enter key slots in a coupler shank.

5. An equalizer block having a horizontally extending vertically concave front key bearing surface and a vertically extending horizontally concave rear bearing surface, said block being of less thickness at one point than the height of the key slot in a coupler shank through which it is to pass and of a Width just sufficiently less than the inside width of the coupler s'hank to allow it to be turned through degrees-and i seated.

specification.

IJOHN CLIFFORD WHITRIDGEQ GEORGE .T. JOHNSON.

In testimony whereof, we have signed this 

